Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for providing a new mechanism of a data storage for a web browser in Hyper Text markup Language (HTML) 5.
Description of the Related Art
Various extended functions in HTML5 have been developed in response to advancement of functions of a web application. In particular, a wide variety of extended functions have been provided for operating the web application offline, due to the wide spread use of information processing terminals such as smartphones and tablets.
Examples of such an extended function include an application cache function of caching a file on a web server, in a storage area for a web browser, functions such as WebStorage and IndexedDB for storing data in the storage area for the web browser, and functions such as File System API for operating a file in the storage area for the web browser. Furthermore, a mechanism has been proposed for managing a connection status (online/offline) of an information processing terminal on which the web browser operates, to a network in such a manner that the connection status can be referred to by a web application, and notifying the web application of changes in the status. The mechanism for storing files and data in the storage area (local storage) for the web browser, including the extended functions described above, is referred to as a local storage function below.
For example, a conventional method of connecting an information processing terminal to a network includes a technique discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-181178. Specifically, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-181178, an information processing terminal connects to a wireless local area network (LAN) and displays a screen for recommending connection through the mobile communications, in accordance with the remaining battery. Furthermore, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-181178, a communication terminal executes a predetermined power saving operation when the remaining amount of the battery is small.
The local storage function and the function of referring to and providing notification of the connection status to the network as the extended functions of the web browser described above, are used for supporting an operation of the web application (or website) when the information processing terminal is “offline” and thus is not connected to the network. For example, a display related to the web application is controlled in the web browser, as in the status where the connection to the network is established, by using data and files stored in the local storage in advance, even when the information processing terminal is offline. When the information processing terminal is online, the web application transmits data stored in the local storage to the web server providing the web application on the network (synchronization).
In the technique described above, the type of the communications, performed in the network connection when the information processing terminal is online, is not taken into consideration. Thus, for example, the data might be automatically transmitted to the web server even when the type of communications performed in the connection in the online status is mobile communications involving usage based rate or communications with an upper limit amount. Communication control might not be performed just as the user has desired in such a case. There might be a user who wants to limit the data transmission in accordance with the connection status depending on the web application (website) for example, for the types of communications other than those described above.